I have one child in FCPS and one in a private school in DC that follows Montgomery County. Private school kid was 1/2 way to school when we got the notification from Montgomery County (and subsequently his school.) I think FCPS does a much better job of getting alerts out to help parents plan. I think this storm really caught them off guard. I was shocked when I looked out my window and saw snow sticking to the road and I live in the Alexandria section of Fairfax.

I got the email at 8:01 and text at 8:23.

I was literally getting in the car to drive DS to SACC when the email came through.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do they tweet about it at 7:56 but emails don't and text messages don't go out till 30 minutes later?

It usually works better than that. I suspect there was a lot of last minute panic behind the scenes.

I hope they don't panic about these things. I would have three decisive people sit in a room, monitor weather reports and road reports, and figure out together what to do. No second guessing, and then when the decision is made blast it out there. You can't be right all the time but a 41 minute gap between a tweet and then text/email during what is "go" time for the vast majority of families is nearly unforgivable.

Anonymous wrote:Why do they tweet about it at 7:56 but emails don't and text messages don't go out till 30 minutes later?

It usually works better than that. I suspect there was a lot of last minute panic behind the scenes.

Why do they tweet about it at 7:56 but emails don't and text messages don't go out till 30 minutes later?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid and I got up at 7:30 and felt school should be cancelled. We decided to wait a bit for possible closing notice before heading out to the bus stop to catch the 8:10 bus. Got a tweet from FCPS at 7:59, closed!! Yeah!

Mine came in at 8:20am. That difference was crucial. Kid left for SACC at 7:55am, then I got a call at 8:10 from DH asking me to check status again, as SACC and the entire building was closed. I checked the website and they had changed it to closed. I told them to drive back home. But my text from FCPS alerting me to the closure didn’t come in until I hung up the phone, more minutes passed, then came at 8:20am.

Our text came late too. But I checked Twitter and it was on there at 7:56, when they made the decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid and I got up at 7:30 and felt school should be cancelled. We decided to wait a bit for possible closing notice before heading out to the bus stop to catch the 8:10 bus. Got a tweet from FCPS at 7:59, closed!! Yeah!

Mine came in at 8:20am. That difference was crucial. Kid left for SACC at 7:55am, then I got a call at 8:10 from DH asking me to check status again, as SACC and the entire building was closed. I checked the website and they had changed it to closed. I told them to drive back home. But my text from FCPS alerting me to the closure didn’t come in until I hung up the phone, more minutes passed, then came at 8:20am.

How horrifying.

Anonymous wrote:My kid and I got up at 7:30 and felt school should be cancelled. We decided to wait a bit for possible closing notice before heading out to the bus stop to catch the 8:10 bus. Got a tweet from FCPS at 7:59, closed!! Yeah!

Mine came in at 8:20am. That difference was crucial. Kid left for SACC at 7:55am, then I got a call at 8:10 from DH asking me to check status again, as SACC and the entire building was closed. I checked the website and they had changed it to closed. I told them to drive back home. But my text from FCPS alerting me to the closure didn’t come in until I hung up the phone, more minutes passed, then came at 8:20am.

Well if you are mad at FCPS, MCPS just announced CLOSED at 8:42am

With any amount of snow or sleet, I’d rather have my kids stay home than send them on a bus on the winding and hilly roads of FCPS. Our bus ride is an hour on a normal day. Last minute notice is a hassle but thank you FCPS.

Arlington is going to get a lot of heat for not following FCPS in treating this like a real winter event. By 7:00 am it was clear things were going down hill rapidly.

FWIW I think FCPS was in a tough spot with this storm. They called the 2-hour delay last night in anticipation of being able to better evaluate this morning by 6am. At 6am it was just raining or maybe sleet mixed in, and the forecasters all said it would change to rain. Then at 6:30 it started snowing and it got worse and worse past 7:30. So for safety reasons, they closed. It was a series of unfortunate events, and I feel the worst for the bus drivers and teachers already at schools (the middle school bus drivers were already on their way out) and the kids at SACC centers who were already there, and the parents who now have to turn around back to SACC or make alternative plans. But this weather really caught everyone off guard. Last year it seemed like a snow forecast was always a bust, so we are all programmed to expect a bust, not a boom. Hope everyone is safe today.

My kid and I got up at 7:30 and felt school should be cancelled. We decided to wait a bit for possible closing notice before heading out to the bus stop to catch the 8:10 bus. Got a tweet from FCPS at 7:59, closed!! Yeah!

Anonymous wrote:People are driving right up our steep hill no problem. I wish they would have stuck with the 2 hour delay.

We are not in Chicago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:8:07 here. But better that they closed. Now message states SACC opened but please come to pick your kids up.

What a poor planning!

This is why they should err on the side of caution and call the closing the night before — even if sometimes they will be wrong and they will have closed for a minor weather event or a complete bust. Let’s not complain when the closing seems to have been “for nothing.”

No, Fairfax should not close just in case a forecasted wintry mix turns into a boom. That doesn't make sense.